Spetses, a mixture of sea and forest

Spetses, a mixture of sea and forest

Whilst staying in Hydra we decided to visit Spetses for the day since it’s very near. We got the flying dolphin from Hydra which is about 40 minutes. I’ve known this island since I was in school, from history lessons, that Spetses is famous for its contribution to the 1821 war of independence.

Once you reach the Spetses harbor you’ll see Dapia (new harbor) which is the tourist and commercial centre and old harbor. The trademarks of the town are not far away from there. You’ll almost see everywhere near the harbor the horse-drawn carriages which are the island’s emblematic means of transport.

We got a motorbike (25 EUR for the day) in order to explore the island which is 25km. We started our journey from the old port towards Agia Marina and followed the white line (as illustrated on the map). We got off at Agioi Anargiroi which is one of the largest beaches on the southwest of the island. The Bekiris cave is located near the beach. This dark cave used to be a safe place for pirates to hide. There’s a story which says that the cave was named after a man with the name Bekiris betrayed the people who were hiding there during 1770 when the Turks were plundering the island.

We then moved on towards Agia Paraskevi. We didn’t get off here but we only viewed the amazing and breathtaking sea views. On our way to Vrellos beach we could only see a mixture of the sea and forest pine trees. This was our next stop. A beautify sandy beach on the west part of the island surrounded by pine trees.

Then we passed through Zoodohos Pigi and moved on to Kaiki Beach Bar restaurant for lunch. This place is one of the most popular beaches in Spetses. Then we got the motorbike and went towards the lighthouse.
Spetses is famous for its little almond cakes with sprinkled icing sugar (called Amygdalota) and there are available near the old port. We tried them as Politis and they were delicious (even though I don’t like these in general).

Basically, we spent about 6 hours on the island going around with the motorbike, enjoying the amazing views, the sandy beaches, the mansions and gazed near the harbor the water taxis, boats and cruise ships coming and leaving the island. If you’re thinking to visit Spetses for holidays or for the day getting a motorbike to explore the island is a unique opportunity. Don’t rely on the boats and buses since you’ll get to miss a lot.

For more information about Spetses I suggest you have a look on Lonely Planet

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I’m Cypriot, with a London touch, experimenting with photography, working in research, love cooking, reading books and wishing to travel the world. I currently live in Limassol, Cyprus and try to travel as much as I can.
Visit the [Meet Dora] section for more.